Cup holding bracket



1966 J. w. BENJAMIN 3,233,853

CUP HOLDING BRACKET Filed May 15, 1964 34 W F /g. 4 2a 30 7 I 68 25 @"34E i /a 36 48 36' 44 I 7 5 3 I II] 80 Jonas M. Benjamin 7 56 INVENTOK. 4850 /8 BY ,6 22 Mo I-nm United States Patent Ofii ce 3,233,858 PatentedFeb. 8, 1966 3,233,858 CUP HOLDING BRACKET Jonas W. Benjamin, Salisbury,Md., assignor to Hold-a- Drink, Inc., a corporation of Maryland FiledMay 13, 1964, Sex. No. 366,945 1 Claim. (Cl. 248-311) This inventionrelates to a novel and useful cup holding bracket and more specificallyto a bracket which is designed for support from an upstanding supportingsurface and which includes means for stationarily positioning a drinkingcup or the like.

The main object of this invention is to provide a cup holding bracketwhich may be secured to a door of an automobile, the side of a boat orany upstanding supporting surface and utilized to removably support adrinking cup or other beverage container in an upright position.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cup holding bracketconstructed in a manner whereby the container supported thereby will notonly be supported from the bottom thereof but will also be encircled bymeans of an annular portion of the cup' holding bracket above the lowerend of the container whereby lateral support to the latter will beprovided.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a cup holdingbracket in accordance with the preceding objects including a lowerlaterally outwardly projecting support arm for supporting the lower endof a container and an upper laterally outwardly projecting frame legsupport arm for encircling an upper portion of the container to besupported.

Yet another object of this invention, in accordance with theirmnediately preceding object, is to provide means for mounting theupper and lower support arms from the support bracket for swingingmovement relative thereto about generally parallel axes and in a mannerenabling the support arms to be readily collapsed toward positionsrotated approximately 90 from their operative positions thereby enablingthem to substantially parallel the upright supporting surface from whichthe cup holding bracket is supported.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein isto provide .a cup holding bracket in accordance with the precedingobjects which will conform to conventional forms in manufacture, be asimple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that willbe economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free inoperation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the cup holding bracket of the instantinvention with the support arms thereof shown in collapsed inoperativepositions;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged rear elevational view of the bracket;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially upona plane designated by the section line 3-3 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a further enlarged vertical sectional view similar to FIGURE3 but showing the upper and lower support arms of the bracket in theirextended operative positions.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings the numeral generallydesignates the cup holding bracket of the instant invention. The bracket10 includes an upstanding mounting plate 12 which may be of anydesirable plan shape such as elliptical as illustrated and which has aplurality of apertures 14, 15 and 16 formed therein. A plurality offasteners 18 are shown illustrated in FIG- URE 2 of the drawingsremovably supporting the cup holding bracket 19 to an upstandingsupporting surface 22 in which the fasteners 18 have been threadedlyengaged after being passed through the apertures 14, 15 and 16.

A closed ended generally semi-cylindrical housing 24 is secured to themounting plate 12 by means of blind rivets 26 and 28, see FIG. 2, andhas a pair of slots 30 and 32 formed therein. A pivot pin 34 is securedbetween the opposite end walls of the housing 24 and an upper supportarm generally referred to by reference numeral 36 and substantially ringlike in configuration is pivotally supported from the pivot pin 34 bymeans of a pair of apertured laterally directed cars 38 and 40 carriedby the circumferentially spaced-apart ends of the ring-like uppersupport arm. In addition, it may be seen that a pair of aperturedmounting lugs 42 and 44 are struck outwardly from the front face 46 ofthe mounting plate 12 and that a pivot pin 48 is journalledtherebetween. A lower support arm generally referred to by the referencenumeral 50 is provided and includes a pair of upstanding opposite sideapertured lugs 52 which embracingly receive the apertured lugs 42 and 44therebetween and are mounted on the pivot pin 48. Further, the supportarm 50 also includes an angulated fiange 56 provided for a purpose to behereinafter more fully set forth. As can best be seen from FIGURE 2 ofthe drawings the mounting plate 12 has a pair of upper apertures 58 and60 formed therein with which the ears 3S and 40, respectively, areregistered. Further, the lower portion of the mounting plate 12 has anaperture 62 formed therein between apertured mounting lugs 42 and 44 andwith which the angulated flange 56 is registered.

A leaf spring 64 is secured to the rear face 66 of the mounting plate 12by means of suitable rivets 68 and includes one end portion defining apair of spring arms 70 and 72 and a second end portion defining a singlespring arm 74. Each of the arms 70 and 72 includes a laterally directedterminal end portion 76 which projects into the corresponding opening oraperture and engages the free end of the corresponding apertured ear ofthe upper support arm 35 when the latter is in its operative positionillustrated in FIGURE 4 of the drawings. In addition, the spring arm 74includes a laterally offset end portion 78 which projects into theopening or aperture 62 and is engaged by the free end of the angulatedflange 56 when the lower support arm 50 is in its inoperative position.

The spring arms 70 and 72 are therefore utilized to yieldingly retainthe support arm 36 in the operative position illustrated in FIGURE 4 ofthe drawings. In addition, as can be seen by FIGURE 3 of the drawings,the support arms 70 and 72 also serve to yieldingly retain the uppersupport arm 36 in the collapsed position. Still further, the planar face80 of the angulated flange 56 is engaged by the laterally offsetterminal end portions 78 of the support arm 74 when the lower supportarm Sll is in the operative position illustrated in FIGURE 4 of thedrawings. Accordingly, it may be seen that the spring arm 74 may beutilized to yieldingly retain the lower support arm Si in both itsoperative and inoperative positions.

With attention now directed more specifically to FIG- URE l of thedrawings it may be seen that the lower support arm 50, when in theretracted inoperative position, is nested within the ring-like uppersupport arm 36 when the latter is in its inoperative position. Further,it will noted from FIGURE 4 of the drawings that the upper support arm36 cannot be pivoted downwardly at its free end to the fully collapsedinoperative position as long as the lower support arm 50 is in itsoperative position, the length of the upper support arm 36 from thepivot pin 34 being such that the outer peripheral portion of the supportarm 36 wi ll contact the outer end of the lower support arm 50 shouldthe former be swung toward its collapsed position When the latter is inits operative position. I

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows: 7

An article holding bracket comprising an upstanding mounting plateadapted to be secured to an upstanding supporting surface, upper supportarm means pivotally secured at one end to an upper portion of saidmounting plate for rotation about a generally horizontally disposed axisgenerally paralleling said plate and extending transversely of said oneend of said uppersupport arm means, a frame carried by the other end ofsaid upper support arm means and disposed in a plane generallyparalleling said axis and swingable between a raised generallyhorizontally disposed operative position and a lowered re= tractedposition generally paralleling and disposed adjacent said mountingplate, lower support arm means pivotally secured at one end to a lowerportion of said mounting plate for rotation about an axis generallyparalleling th first mentioned axis and extending transversely of saidlower -supportai'ni means, a support them her carried by the other endof said lpwer support and means and disposed in a plane generallyparalleling said axis" and s'wingable between anoperative lowered generally horizontally disposed limit position and a raised retractedposition generally paralleling and disposed adjacent said mountingplate, said frame cbmpletely reoeiving said support member therein whensaid frame and said lower support arm means are in their inopera= tivepositions, said upper support arm means comprising a partial cylindricalband-like member defining said frarne and including generally radiallyoutwardly projecting adjacent, parallel and spaced apart end portions,said mounting plate including a generally semi-cylindrical housinggenerally parallel-ing said first 'mentioned axis and opening toward andsecured to one side of said mounting plate, said housing includingopposite end walls disposed generally normal to the medial plane or saidmounting plate, said housing having a pair of longitudinally spacedcircumferentially extending slots formed therein, a pivot pin secured toand extending between said end walls, said end portions of saidband-like member extending through said slots and secured to said pin atpoints spaced therealong, the free terminal ends or said end portionsbeing disposed generally normalito the medial plane or said frame, saidmounting P ate aving an opening ranges therein in registry witheach ofsaid slots, elongated rear means secured intermediate its opposite endsto the other side of said mounting plate and including p6r= tioris onone end thereof generally paralleling said plate, disposed in registrywith said slots and engaging the free terminal ends of said endportions, said plate having a second opening formed therein in registrywith the base end of said lowersupport arrn means, the other end of saidspring means including portions generally paralleling said plate anddisposed said second opening, said base end of said lower suppfirt arrnineans including a serrate disposed generally normal to the longitudinalcenter-line orsaid low'er support arm rneans and engaged with said otherend of said spring means Rater-ewes Cites by 'th Examiner CLAUEE A. LE1163, Primary Examiner.

Anno'rr, Examiner. R, P. sE'ITr'ER, Assistant Examiner,

